Let's pretend my 2007 MCS is sold next week. And I will place the order for a 2009 135i Coupe for March delivery.
I will need a car to drive to work for the next 5 months. What cheap car will satisfy the following two requirements?
1. reliable... no maintenance cost due to break down.
2. good resale... no depreciation when I sell it in March.

I guess, I am looking for a cheap reliable used car that I won't have problem selling next spring.

Thanks for any ideas offered.

 

May be a used fit/yaris????

135i s are nice , you have good taste IMO.

 

Pretty much any of the Koreans or Japanese that have depreciated down to around $4000-$5000 or so. You shouldn't lose more than a grand on something like that in five months if anything. Buy private.

 

A little different opinion but you can rent/lease as well. It may be more expensive but you do not have the headaches of trying to sell it. Maybe 5 months is a little long but 3 months is definately possible. Perhaps you can keep your current ride a little longer and/or get the new car a little sooner.

 

10-12 year old civic with say less than 160k miles.

 

how cheap are you looking for? hondas should satisfy all of your requirements anyway. if i were you and i got a fit, tho, i might get pretty attached to it after 5 months. so get a used civic or accord w/ decently low miles and you won't have trouble getting most of your $ back. i'd imagine civics are in even higher demand these days due to gas $

 

Older Civic or Integra. Look around 94-97 Integras, wonderful cars. Comfortable, reliable, somewhat fun to drive. That should hold you over, and you can get one for 6K-8K easy.
I currently own a Fit, and they are awesome but like Mini's they hold their value very well. A 07 will go for 13k, when it was 14k new. If you want to spend that kinda money though, you will love it! They are also hard to find used.

 

Maybe a used 07 MCS.

 

There are many more BMW dealers than Mini dealers. Would it be possible to find a 135 on the lot somewhere so that you didn't have to order?? That would solve the 5 month interim problem all together - None.

 

thanks all for ideas.
my 135i will have no added options. so I will have to special order.

 

Can't go wrong with a Honda. Get an older Civic. Value will stay the same, cheap to operate and they are in enough demand right now that you will be able to sell it and get almost all your money back.

 

Hummer H2? There are a lot sitting around. Maybe you could lease one for $1/month and just pay for gas!

 

That's easy, a 90-97 Miata preferably a 92-93 if you want the economical 1.6L DOHC engine. Mine got about 25 mpg combined on 87 octane gas, parts are cheap as dirt and it's easy to flip them in the spring when the weather is nice again. I made a $1,000 profit on mine after 1.5 years of ownership.

 

try www.leasetrader.com take over someones lease that has about 4-5 months left. usually, you will get at least 1 month for free from someone that is desperate to get rid of what they got because they can't afford it or whatever. that way you can pick from whatever car and not have to worry about selling, etc.

 

Your going to need something good in the snow. Seeing you live at the north pole.

 

i got lucky with my similar situation. Ordered my mini and then a week later my old car sold. My best friend had just bought a new Mazda like 2 weeks prior, and had his F150 that hes been letting me use as my own for the past month. Only downside is the gas.

Basically, if you know people with 2 cars, most will help.

 

you really like your small cars huh?

 

I doubt a 135i is good in snow.

 

I would suggest a VW Rabbit. I believe they enjoy a decent resale value.

 

I am not sure if that person is being fecitious.

I wouldn't recommend a VW at all.
Unless you like hitching rides with friends.
And four figure repair bills, consistantly.
And hair pulling maddening electrical problems.

 

No, I wasn't actually. I was considering a Rabbit before going with the MINI. I know they've had some reliability issues, but they DO have a good resale, and in a pinch, it's good to know you can offload a Rabbit easily. Of course, I'm speaking of a NEW Rabbit, one with factory warranty and the three year free scheduled maintenance. Of course, no one would really enjoy those benefits if they were planning to trade out of the car within five months.

 

You might ought to shop around. I can't speak for the one series, but when I went to BMW of Nashville for my yearly mini service, I walked around the lot and looked at various 3 series BMWs. The probably had 10 or so 'stock' 3 series BMWs on the lot, with no options. For BMW many of the things that are optional on the Mini are standard on BMW and they are more apt to have some 'stock' versions around.

 

I would keep the MCS till you get the new car... probably cost less in the long run and you should always be able to find a buyer for it. Just put it on the market a month or so before the new car arrives

 

It's for sale and I am waiting for a reasonable offer. It's on the craigslist and autotrader.

 

How far is your commute each way? Is public transportation or carpooling an option?

What you do consider "Cheap" for a car price? Less than $5000, less than $10,000?

The older the car (cheap) and the more the mileage the less likely it will not break down even in as little as 5 months but it will depend on your daily mileage and use.

Good resale will be easier if-
You choose something with good or decent mpg
There is ample demand for it, probably a four seat sedan, maybe a hatchback, not a truck or SUV or sportscar.
You don't have to pay that much and you don't increase that much mileage in comparison to total mileage.
You buy something recent that has good resale and sell it for close to what you pay for it- late model Yaris or Civic.

The Honda Fit is in very high demand and commands prices in excess of MSRP in my area. Each dealership gets about 2 to 3 per month and demand far exceeds that. Used Fits are very rare and get top dollar. Most will be Automatic transmissions and the stock All Season Dunlop SP31 tires are pretty bad and barely useful for winters- be careful. They are not dangerouse just drive slow. I've owned two, 2007 and 2008 Fit Sports.
Driven them in Indiana, California and Hawaii.

Other possibles-
Mazda 3
Nissan Versa
Honda Accord
Toyota Corolla or Camry